


Old Friend

by Luna_Myth



Category: The Sexy Brutale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Happy, Babies, Canon Universe, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Happy, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 16:01:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12214152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Myth/pseuds/Luna_Myth
Summary: Lucas Bondes is paid a visit by his old friend Lafcadio for the first time in a while.{Self-indulgent "hey what if everyone was happy and alive and we had nice things" fic}





	Old Friend

**Author's Note:**

> so my experience w very small humans is limited to when my little brother and sister were babies and from comments from these podcasters i follow who recently had a baby. additionally, i can't remember if eleanor ever canonically calls lafcadio laffy but him being called laffy is so important to me that i had to include it. 
> 
> i love my dramatic arsonist boy lucas bondes and i wrote this fic accordingly

“Hello, old friend,” Lucas said, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he entered the keycode to let Lafcadio into the mansion portion of the Sexy Brutale mansion and casino. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

                Lafcadio nodded as he straightened his vestments and looked around the space for any changes. He’d dropped his jacket at the coat-check and seemed strangely underdressed without it, although Lucas did have to consider the possibility that he himself overdressed for most occasions.

                “Our lobby hasn’t changed much,” he informed Lafcadio, “but our master bedroom has undergone considerable renovations. Come on, I’ll show you.”

                Lucas led his friend up the stairs to the guest rooms and then down another hall to the master bedrooms. This wing of the mansion had been freshly painted in colors of Eleanor’s choosing—she was the expert after all—but Lucas’ flair for the dramatic was still evident in the wall décor and expensive trimming. Lafcadio raised his eyebrows, noting the change, and continued following beside Lucas.

                As they approached a door at the end of the hall and Lucas began to open it, he said, “I’d tell you to stay quiet, but I don’t suspect I need to. I can’t imagine you causing a raucous loud enough to wake someone—must be from all your time spent in cathedrals and chapels.”

                That last part was a dig at Lafcadio’s priesthood, but in truth there was something to be admired about the older man’s stability and calm. Lucas was someone who could fluctuate between extreme highs and extreme lows if he wasn’t careful and Lafcadio’s sense of immovability was rather impressive in its own way—like a rock spire out at sea, bearing the brunt of the waves without flinching.

                Lucas gestured—quite elegantly, he thought—for Lafcadio to go through the door and stepped through after him into a square room. A king-sized bed lay positioned against the far wall, immaculately made and extraordinarily coordinated with the rest of the room. A bedside table covered in expensive knickknacks stood nearby and a bookshelf was pressed into one corner. Several doors branched away, one into an en suite bathroom, Lucas knew, and another into a walk-in closet.

                The most important thing in the room, however, was a cream-colored bassinet a few feet away from the master bed. It was facing away from the door and no sound emanated from it, but Lucas skirted it around it with caution, peeking through another door on the right.

                “Ellie, I’ve got Lafcadio here,” he said softly, heeding his own advice. She looked up from a sketch she was working on and evidently decided to join them in the main room, bringing her sketchbook with her.

                Lafcadio waved rather endearingly and Eleanor smiled at him in greeting.

                “Good to see you, Laffy,” she said. “Are you here to see the baby? He’s being very good and sleeping right now, but I’m sure he’ll wake up soon. And he’ll definitely want to meet you, _important family friend_ Lafcadio Boone.”

                Lafcadio nodded as Lucas said, “I _assumed_ that was what he was here for, but he hasn’t actually said a word this whole time.” There was a brief pause and then, quiet again—“Here, old friend, take a look.”

                Lucas showed Lafcadio over to the bassinet and smiled proudly. A soft ginger-haired baby with a beak-like nose lay sleeping there, evidently quite content despite all the attention. 

                “Eleanor says she thinks the hair will darken to closer to my shade when he’s older, but I rather like it for now,” Lucas whispered, still with a hint of pride in his voice.

                Lafcadio studied the baby intently, eyes picking out tiny fingers and toes, colorful stylish hair, the rise and fall of gentle breathing. “Perfect,” he said.

                Lucas nodded in agreement, deeply flattered and some other emotion he wasn’t as familiar with. Touched, perhaps?

                Lafcadio stared for a few more moments before, as if by silent agreement, he and Lucas retreated to Eleanor, who’d gone back to sketching at a desk in the corner. Lucas wasn’t sure what it was of yet, but it looked very interesting and abstract—maybe swirls of trees or tongues of fire.

                A few minutes later, Lucas heard fussing from the bassinet.

                “I’ll get him,” Lucas said quickly, rising from the chairs they’d pulled over to Eleanor’s impromptu work station.

                He walked over to the bassinet and picked up his son, resting him against one shoulder to leave one of his hands free. The baby made a few more noises before mumbling contentedly. Lucas started back towards Eleanor and Lafcadio and his son blinked around with obvious pleasure, seeming to enjoy the new view.

                “This is Cadmus Bondes,” Lucas said proudly. “And he’s a very handsome boy, don’t you think?”

                The handsome boy in question blinked at Lafcadio uncertainly.

                “I think he’s sizing you up,” Eleanor said. “And he isn’t crying, which is a good sign.”

                Lafcadio nodded at Cadmus seriously, causing his hair to ruffle in a way that elicited a happy noise from the baby curled on Lucas’ chest.

                “I knew he’d like you,” Lucas said sardonically. He didn’t truthfully mind—most people around the Brutale seemed to like Lafcadio, sometimes against their better judgment. And there was also the fact that Lucas had been partial towards the name _Cadmus_ because of its marked similarity in pronunciation to _Lafcadio_. “Do you want to try holding him?”

                Lafcadio stood up immediately.

                Lucas held back a smile. “Okay, here you go.” He handed Lafcadio the baby, keeping a hand on him the whole time until he was sure his friend had a good hold of him. Cadmus seemed fine with it, his eyes wide and interested at this exchange. A tiny fist grabbed at Lafcadio’s shirt.

                “Excellent,” said Lucas, admiring the scene.

                Lafcadio examined the boy with renewed interest and nodded at the hand holding his shirt. “Very good,” he rumbled.

                Lucas nodded solemnly. “He is.”

                His son had quickly become a source of great joy in his life and Cadmus, along with Eleanor, were his top priorities, outweighing the flagging Brutale. Although he loved the mansion and the luxuries it afforded him, they had begun to look into other options for where to raise their son—options that didn’t require drastic measures to continue. Still, Lucas was glad Lafcadio had been able to visit before they had to move their residency elsewhere.

                Speaking of Lafcadio, Cadmus seemed very interested in trying to grab his hair and nose. He wasn’t making much progress, but Lucas was charmed by the effort he was putting into it. Lafcadio watched with amusement.

                “Oh, I know,” Lucas said, seizing on an idea. He returned to the bassinet and retrieved a toy jellyfish. He and Eleanor had picked out lots of animal-themed toys, including several birds, but this one was best suited for his needs.

                “Now hold him like this,” Lucas instructed, positioning his friend’s arms about the baby. Lafcadio silently shifted his hold. “Good. Now how about this?”

                Lucas held the jellyfish over Cadmus so its tentacles dangled down invitingly. The baby boy’s round eyes focused on it, wide as saucers.

                “I think he likes it,” said Lucas.

                Lafcadio continued to hold the baby as Lucas dangled the jellyfish over him, watching his baby reach for it. Wondering what sound jellyfish make, Lucas spun the toy and was considering making a sort of wobbling noise when Eleanor noticed what they were doing.

                “Lucas, are you teasing our baby?” she asked, clearly trying not to smile at the sight of him entertaining Cadmus with a toy jellyfish.

                “No,” Lucas said with exaggerated dignity, still spinning the jellyfish. “I think he likes it.”

                “I’ll be the judge of that.” Eleanor smiled and stood up to watch. Cadmus was grabbing at the floating jellyfish with wide eyes, entranced. Lucas smiled too, pleased with himself.

                “…I think he’s doing okay,” Eleanor conceded. She patted her son’s ginger hair and Lafcadio stood a bit straighter, alert to the importance of his duty. He seemed somewhat proud of himself too.

                “Yes, you’re helping,” Lucas informed him. “Don’t go getting too proud of yourself, old friend.”

                Suddenly Cadmus’ hand closed on one of the jellyfish’s tentacles. In his distraction, Lucas had let his hand drop enough for him to reach it. Everyone exchanged a look of surprise.

                “Good job,” said Lafcadio to the baby in his arms. Lucas tended to agree.

                Cadmus tugged on the jellyfish, causing Lucas to let go, and put the tentacle into his mouth.

                “Is that safe?” Lucas asked, which surprised him, because he usually wasn’t the one asking that question.

                “We’ll keep an eye on him,” Eleanor answered. Lafcadio nodded.

                Lucas shrugged and went back to stroking his son’s cheek using one of the jellyfish’s tentacles. “Alright then. I trust you.”


End file.
